The John Ruskin Library.

The Ruskin collection of books and related documents is currently in long-term storage, with the hope that a new home will be found for it on Ruskin Land in due course. We are sorry that this means it is not currently available for study.

Anthony Page

1928 - 2011

This collection of Ruskin's work was originally put together by Anthony Page over a period of years, and he very generously left it in the care of the Guild.

Anthony studied architecture at the Northern Polytechnic in Highgate. As an architect he worked at Sir Basil Spence, Bonnington & Collins where he was involved, among other works, with designing the British Embassy in Rome, and the new Town Hall for the London Borough of Kensington & Chelsea.

On leaving Bonningtons in the mid 1980s he worked for Bickerdike Allen & Partners for 7 – 8 years, giving expert architectural advice on problematic issues relating to a variety of buildings, including the John Radcliffe Hospital in Oxford.

Anthony’s interest in John Ruskin came from his lifelong love of Italy, his interest in art and design and his background in architecture. He loved to visit places associated with Ruskin and read Ruskin’s books widely, as well as amassing a large collection of his work including many first editions.

When he retired he wished to extend his interest in Ruskin into the practical field. He became a Companion of the Guild in 1994 and was elected a Director. Through his architectural interests he became the Director responsible for their properties at Westmill in Hertfordshire. He retired from this role around the age of eighty.

He also joined the Ruskin Society of which he became an active member. He helped with the arrangements for lecturers, and became a Vice-President of the Society.